Children's Home run by Changing Lives Care Group Ltd in Milton Keynes

Inspection report for children’s home: 2709854 1 Registered provider: Changing Lives Care Group Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The home is privately owned and provides care for up to three children who experience social and emotional difficulties. At the time of the inspection, one child was living at the home.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted on 21 February 2023.

p.1

Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

p.1

good

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

p.1

good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

p.1

good

The children’s home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

p.1

good

Date of last inspection: not previously inspected

p.1

good

Overall judgement at last inspection: not applicable

p.1

good

Enforcement action since last inspection: not applicable Inspection report for children’s home: 2709854 2

p.1

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Since the home opened in March 2023, three children have moved into the home and two children have moved out. There is currently one child living in the home.

p.2

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

When the placing of children has not been successful, leaders and managers reflect and learn from those experiences. Changes made to the process have led to positive, child-focused improvements for new children moving in. As a result, the child who has recently moved into the home has had a positive experience and has settled and made progress.

p.2

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Committed staff encourage the child to actively contribute to their care planning. Staff use activities and direct work to give the child plenty of opportunities to share their views and feelings. This helps to ensure that the child’s social, emotional and health needs are met effectively.

p.2

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

For the children who have lived in the home since it first registered, their individualities have been respected and celebrated. For one child, this meant that they were supported to explore their identity and develop their self-esteem through experimenting with their clothes and hair. This helped them to feel accepted and settled in the home, which gives the child a sense of security.

p.2

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Relationships between the child and staff are caring and nurturing. The child experiences exciting, new and enjoyable activities, such as day trips to the seaside, football training and ice skating. The child’s progress is captured through photos and positive commentary in colourful and creative ‘Happy Books’. This helps the child to reflect on their time at the home and build their life story.

p.2

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff are ambitious for the child’s progress and promote education well. When children have had no school place or access to education on a part-time basis only, staff actively work with education professionals to develop plans to support learning. The registered manager works tirelessly to provide a remote learning package with a child’s school. This includes a clear plan for a return to full-time education as soon as possible.

p.2

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child is supported to take responsibility and ownership for their belongings and to develop independence skills. For instance, they earn reward points for keeping their room tidy. This will help them to achieve their goal of buying their own musical instrument and having music lessons to learn how to play it.

p.2

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff work proactively and positively with families to promote meaningful and safe visits to family. Parents said that communication with managers and staff is good and that when children face difficulties settling in, staff work well to resolve these issues. Inspection report for children’s home: 2709854 3

p.2

How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Leaders and managers have strong relationships with social workers and the police. Staff know the child well and are knowledgeable about their individual risks and the measures in place to minimise these. When the child has concerns, they can identify a trusted adult to talk to.

p.3

How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

When safeguarding incidents occur, staff follow well-planned procedures and contact relevant agencies to keep children safe. Management overview of incidents is thorough, and reviews of safety plans are timely.

p.3

How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

There are clear plans in place to protect children who go missing. Staff provide well- coordinated responses. When these are not effective, the registered manager works closely with social care professionals and the police to review and update procedures if required. The registered manager has developed a link with a local police officer, who visits the child to talk about keeping themselves safe inside of the home and out in the community.

p.3

How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

When children behave in a way that may cause harm or serious damage, staff are quick to intervene. Staff use holds for the shortest time and only when necessary to keep children safe. Management oversight is detailed and includes discussions with the staff involved. Children are offered the opportunity to discuss incidents and explore different ways to manage their feelings. New information relating to triggers of specific behaviours, or the effectiveness of strategies used, is incorporated into care plan updates.

p.3

How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Children’s bedroom doors are fitted with door alarms. These are used in accordance with children’s individual needs and plans and only if required. This means that children have additional safeguards in place should they be needed, and their independence and dignity are not compromised.

p.3

How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Staff understand the risks to children online. When staff have concerns about a child’s safety, prompt and effective action is taken to keep them safe. This includes one-to-one sessions with the child and improved parental restrictions on devices. There are additional measures in place to ensure that access to social media or online gaming is age-appropriate for the child.

p.3

How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Health and safety monitoring systems and audits are overseen by leaders and managers and help to minimise risks and keep the child safe in the home.

p.3

How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

The registered manager ensures that individuals working at the home go through a rigorous selection procedure and that their suitability is carefully checked. They make sure that prospective staff have the right personal qualities, enthusiasm, experience, skills and values to work with vulnerable children. Inspection report for children’s home: 2709854 4

p.3

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager has a detailed knowledge of the home and the needs of the children who have lived there. Staff are confident in her decision-making and feel inspired by her progression.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Despite some difficult times for the team this year, staff morale is high. Staff said that they feel well supported by the registered manager, both in their work and with their emotional well-being. One new member of staff said that they love their job and described the manager as ‘great’ and ‘so supportive’.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

All staff are competent in their roles. They access training in core areas, including safeguarding children, physical intervention and first aid. Staff undertake more- targeted training, including managing self-harm, mental health awareness and child sexual exploitation. This training ensures that the staff have the skills they need to meet the individual needs of the children they care for.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff participate in regular team meetings to reflect on children’s progress, share important information about children’s plans and to discuss the running of the home. The staff’s contribution is an important feature of making sure that they understand their roles, support children consistently and work as a cohesive and effective team.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There are effective internal and external monitoring systems in place. The registered manager is well organised and has developed her own internal quality assurance systems. This means that she has a good understanding of the strengths of the home and the areas that need further development. However, the workforce development plan does not include timescales for staff induction, staff training and how staff performance is managed.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

External professionals say that the home is well managed and that staff have a great understanding of children’s individual needs. Children’s views are listened to, and these are reflected in their plans. One social worker said that he would have no hesitation in placing children at the home in the future. Inspection report for children’s home: 2709854 5

p.4

Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that all children have a positive experience moving into and on from the home. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 57, paragraph 11.9)  The registered person should have a workforce plan which reflects the timescales for staff induction and core training and that details how poor performance of staff will be managed. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 53, paragraph 10.8)

p.5

Information about this inspection

Inspectors have looked closely at the experiences and progress of children and young people, using the social care common inspection framework. This inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000 to assess the effectiveness of the service, how it meets the core functions of the service as set out in legislation, and to consider how well it complies with the Children’s Homes (England) Regulations 2015 and the ‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’. Inspection report for children’s home: 2709854 6

p.5

Children’s home details

Registered provider: Changing Lives Care Group Limited

p.6

Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Office 7, 35 to 37 Ludgate Hill, London EC4M 7JN

p.6

Inspectors

Tony Waite, Social Care Inspector Mike Simmonds, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2709854 7 to achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children’s social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, further education and skills, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.

p.6

Inspectors

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.7

Inspectors

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.7

Inspectors

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

p.7